The Maze Runner | 100 Movies Bucket List

 

I'd heard of this film, but didn't really know what it was about and had no real desire to watch it. I was surprised to see it on the bucket list though - I didn't know how well liked it was!

I knew some of the actors that were in the film, but it's really interesting to see them together, and then to think about their careers outside of this. A lot of the guys in the film have gone on to do really interesting things, and this film definitely helped them to be more visible to the general public, which is great.

And all of them did a really good job with their characters. Although the world is important, the characters are why we're watching.

Having not read the book, being thrown in the deep end like the main character felt a bit jarring. You have to get to know the characters and the world as he does.

But ultimately this worked against me because it took me a really long time to care about the characters or their predicament. I believed their danger, I believed in the mystery they were trying to solve, but it took a long time for me to care about any of them individually or collectively enough to be truly invested in solving the mystery.

That being said, the worldbuilding is really interesting. This is a place that is fully created and fleshed out, we believe everything the characters are going through, and it's fun to discover new things as they do.

The stakes are really high. Even when we don't exactly understand what the stakes are, we understand the need for escape and survival, and that creates empathy with the characters.

The dialogue was great, particularly the way it was used to explore the themes of hope, conflict and paranoia. We really get to feel what the characters are feeling.

I think my main issue with the film isn't a problem with the film itself, but just through personal preference, the plot isn't that interesting to me. The idea of a group of kids waking up in a mysterious maze and trying to find their way out isn't something I'd go out of my way to watch or read. So even though I can understand why the film is enjoyable, and why the book is so popular, I just wasn't particularly interested in it.

So while I appreciate the film for what it is, it wasn't for me.